“Patient Privacy Rights is urging Congress to include the definition of privacy and restore Americans’ right to consent to the use and disclosure of their personal information…

“Getting consent to disclose your diagnosis of cancer, an STD, a Paxil prescription or even having the flu is not radical. In fact, obtaining consent is even easier with health IT. Some have argued that getting consent today is burdensome or impractical.

“If you believe that you are saying it is O.K. for the health industry to noteven try to communicate with their customers, and it is O.K. to let those who have the most to gain decide how personal information is used. Well, that’s not O.K. Destroying the bond of trust between physicians and patients that has worked for millennia is the one radical concept of this debate.”